6.5 months old, first cold down...

Though Peyton had the sniffles when she was about a month old, this last week she had her first real cold ever. Oh she was pitiful, I hope it does not happen again for along time. But of course I had to document it, also just to prove that she does indeed get fussy, it is rare but it does happen...I had put her down just for a moment to throw a diaper away and get something to drink and this was her reaction....



By Monday night though she had thrown up twice and during her last bottle before bed coughed so hard, she turned purple then projectile vomited all over me and the floor. I can handle the puking, but I have never seen her turn purple like that, it scared us both so I took her to Urgent Care. Thank goodness my mom was home, she helped me stay calm. Of course by the time we got to the urgent care clinic she stopped crying, she was smiling and waving at the others in the waiting room and the staff. 2 hours later we were sent home with the diagnosis of a "upper respiratory infection" - she had a cold. No fever, nothing to give her, just had to wait it out. But by Friday she was back to herself and we even went to Little Gym she was feeling so good.

For me, it was scary and my knee jerk reaction was OMG we need to move to Spokane or Lynnwood, so I don't have to go through this again. But even that night, when we got home from urgent care, I got off the phone with mom, still crying and Peyton was looking up at me smiling as if to tell me "its OK Mom" and I calmed down. But it would be nice to be closer to family, to have someone to be there when we go through these frightening firsts. At least I know mom is only a phone call away, and even from 300 miles away can make everything better.

Eating Solids - I have read alot of material about what and when to feed babies, and talked with several professionals, so we have a plan in place now but am open to suggestions... Peyton has now had carrots, sweet potatoes and bananas. She loves her oatmeal, and though she seems to like bananas, she made the funniest face the first time she ate them like it was sour (her diaper was pretty sour afterwards that is for sure!) Tonight she will get to try another new vegetable, I am thinking green beans - one of my favorite! For now she is eating the jarred baby food provided by WIC, the pediatrician and 2 dietitians assured me she is getting all the nutrients she needs from her formula and that the jarred baby food and cereal are safe, as well as convenient, because they are just practice for her learning to eat not really a source of nutrition at this point in her diet. So we will continue this for a little while, then when she starts crawling I will start to pure food I eat so she can start enjoying "real", big people food.

Peyton and I have had a great weekend, though we both overslept this morning on top of the time change, so our day is a little off but it has been a fun weekend. Shopping, playing at home, we got to see Papa on web cam today and are looking forward to seeing Silas, Emmitt and Elise on web cam later too. Most exciting is it will only be a four day work week then we are off to Spokane for 4 day! We are planning a road trip with Auntie Sandy and will stop to pick up Papa on the way! I know I cant wait and wait until her Papa and Yaya get to see how much she has changed in person!

Needless to say Peyton and I are both glad she is over her cold. I only hope that when she gets her flu shot as part of her 6 month shots on Tuesday, that she doesn't have a setback. Because I love how much fun we have on a daily basis, playing and talking, she is moving so much and loves to shake her head and bounce, she is such a good, beautiful baby and she is growing so fast....7 months in 2 weeks - crazy!

6 Months Old!

Ok, ok, ok....I really must get better at regular postings, but honestly - computer time is the last thing on my mind at the end of the day.

Updates up from last post:

- Peyton's muscle tone is fine. She tested borderline on upper body strength, and in "normal levels" cognitively and socially. Long story short - they recommended more tummy time and some upper body strengthening workouts. Auntie Sandy made the 80+ mile round trip for the evaluation that barely lasted an hour. Peyton did well but did not even show the two women testing her everything she can do. I was a nervous wreck though, but as always I knew I could rely on Auntie Sandy to be there for us and she was so positive, she was such a rock - she definitely is only second to my mom when it comes to being just who I need, when I need her. Thank you Tuma!

- Peyton is doing so much better with tummy time, she sits almost unsupported, but can be tipsy when she is tired or lose her balance when she gets excited. We work everyday on tummy time and rolling over, though she is not rolling over she IS pushing her self up and holding herself up on her extended arms (especially does this well on the exercise ball)! Yay Peyton!

- Peyton is as social as ever! We enjoying getting stopped with compliments wherever we go and she continues to improve and develop her flirting abilities! I think my favorite is when Gramma and Grandpas stop to talk to her in the store, to see how they react so positively, they are so happy to see her smile and 9 times out of 10 they say "Oh she knows a Gramma/Grandpa when she sees one!". If ever I am feeling down, this is a sure fire way to cheer me up!

- As for me, I continue to acclimate to my new life. While some things, people, I am still learning to let go, I am ever aware that I am receiving new "things" and people in direct or even favorable proportion. A great example of this is our time at Little Gym, I am getting to know a couple of moms in particular and just yesterday we started discussing what we could do as a play date with our babies and hope to get a regular play date started in April. Very exciting for me and Peyton. Another example is my return to books and reading, I used to be an avid reader but let go of that joy for less intellectual past times like pool, and men - just kidding, but I am reading more and loving it. And I am looking forward to a visit from a very good friend from my past next week, which I think is exactly what I need.

So what's next in Peyton's World?

Well I have all but let go of the notion that moving back to be Spokane would somehow be an admittance of failure or sign of weakness. Hold on a second Mom, I am not saying I am moving back to Spokane next weekend. :) But I do consider all the time what it would mean for Peyton to live so close to her grandparents and cousins. I think about how far back my memories of Papa and Grammie go, like sleeping in between them in; Grammie reading a book, Papa faced the other way sleeping, me putting my cold feet against their legs and giggling at their reaction. And I think about all the memories of Chosie; he was larger than life to me and Bear, he was the cool older cousin and I can see Silas already loves Peyton and protects her in the same brother-like manner. But then I think about the connection Peyton has with her Tuma and Tupa, the way she lights up when she sees Snookie, and how Ashley has been able to make her smile and giggle with such little effort since she was able to smile. We have family on both sides of the mountains, the drive from Spokane to Coulee Dam is not dissimilar from Covington to Portland, so either way her great Aunties (wow, don't think I have said that before - weird!) are only a car ride away. And so, the verdict is still out.

What I do know is that I will do what is best for Peyton and for me. I can't just move without a job and a plan, it is not good parenting and it's just not my style. For now we have a good routine, we have morning time together, we go to work 5 days a week - together, and we have our weekends to be with family or to stay home and relax. But I do need to consider what my next career move is long term, can't waist that $60K+ Bachelors Degree, and more importantly the plans Peyton and I are making for ourselves; new car, buying a home, Disneyland, those require more than just getting by. We are blessed to be in the position we are in now, with time to look at all of our options and decide what is best for us.

I also know that Peyton is 6 months old tomorrow and we are celebrating her half birthday with......APPLE JUICE! Yay! Last weekend I began giving Peyton baby cereal, it was so much fun; mom and dad even got to witness it via web cam. Unfortunately Peyton may have reacted poorly to the rice cereal, or it was a flare up of extremely dry skin at the same time, either way I ended up switching her to oatmeal. By day 3 she was becoming very good at eating off of a spoon, and it is so cute to watch her "chew" her oatmeal. So we are waiting a few more days, to give her tummy time to adjust to the oatmeal, before I introduce her to fruit and vegetables, but today I gave Peyton her first sippy cup (also something new she is learning) of water and tomorrow she will get her first taste of juice!

What else is new? Up a diaper size, after a few blowouts last week I finally realized it wasn't just her position at the time of taking care of business - and started using the next size up. Peyton LOVES her excersaucer and bouncy seat from her cousins Elise and Emmitt. Peyton is learning to wave hello and goodbye, and shows excitement by panting, rocking and/or moving her arms and legs up down very quickly. Peek-a-boo, tickling and Elmo are the top 3 giggle-inducers! And I finally parted with clothes she has outgrown through donation and resale, it was hard at first but so worth it to take the store credit and get her new toys and clothes! Peyton is still sleeping through the night, once in awhile she stirs and needs help finding her nuk, but sleeps from 8:30/9 to 7/7:30 in the morning, she does sleep in her own crib every night but it is still in my room....I am thinking about moving her crib to her bedroom, but mommy is not ready for that yet and I have the scar on my tummy to prove I have that right to not be ready!!! lol

All in all, our life is amazing. We have a wonderful routine, but she is such a good baby, she is very flexible (more so than me!) when needed. We share lots of laughs and kisses every day, we have lots of family that love us and we have a world of opportunities and experiences ahead of us that are yet to be decided.